Vietnam and its villas along the coast
Luxury hotels in Vietnam
5 hotels
Capella Hanoi
Five-star · Hanoi
A small hotel in Hoan Kiem that Bill Bensley conceived as a tribute to the opera house next door.
From $600 per night
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Amanoi
Five-star · South Central Coast
The first Aman in Vietnam, inside the Nui Chua National Park above Vinh Hy Bay, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
From $1,200 per night
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Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An
Four-star · Hoi An & Da Nang
The dawn of the Vietnam beach resort, walled modern-minimal villas on China Beach just outside Da Nang.
From $700 per night
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Banyan Tree Lang Co
Four-star · Lang Co & Hue
Pool villas after the garden houses of Hue on the bay of Lang Co, halfway between Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An.
From $500 per night
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Zannier Bãi San Hô
Four-star · South Central Coast
The largest of Arnaud Zannier's houses, hand-crafted villas on a secluded peninsula of white beach north of Nha Trang.
From $500 per night
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Vietnam runs the length of a coast and the luxury follows that map, from Hanoi in the north to the shore beyond Nha Trang. An opera-house hotel in Hanoi, the beach villas of Hoi An and Lang Co and an Aman on Vinh Hy Bay: in the capital the small hotel that Bill Bensley conceived as a tribute to the opera house next door; on China Beach the modern-minimal villas of The Nam Hai; at Lang Co the pool villas designed after the garden houses of Hue; above the bay the first Aman in Vietnam, on a hillside inside a national park; and at Bai San Ho the hand-crafted villas of Arnaud Zannier on a powder-white beach. The map, north to south: Hanoi, the capital of lakes, French quarters and the opera house; the central coast of Hoi An, Da Nang, Lang Co and Hue, where the long beaches meet the old imperial city and the lantern town; and the south central shore beyond Nha Trang, the driest in the country, with its bays, national parks and secluded peninsulas. Capella Hanoi and Amanoi hold the country's strict five-star standing; The Nam Hai, Banyan Tree Lang Co and Zannier Bãi San Hô are listed at four. Hanoi is at its best in autumn and spring, the central beaches from March to September, the south central coast from January to September.
“Because it is a miracle of care for a hotel this small — Bensley's opera house in hotel form, a stage set you sleep in — and because for its size it keeps more good bars and tables than most grand hotels.”
From our editors · Capella Hanoi
The neighborhoods
Hanoi
The capital in the north: Hoan Kiem and its lake, the old quarter, the French quarter and the opera house. Ha Long Bay is a day away, and the airport about forty minutes.
Hoi An & Da Nang
China Beach and the palm-lined shore between Da Nang and the lantern town of Hoi An. Here too are the Marble Mountains, My Son and the old port, about an hour from Da Nang airport.
Lang Co & Hue
The crescent bay of Lang Co under the Hai Van Pass, halfway between Da Nang and the imperial city of Hue. Hue keeps the citadel, the tombs and the Perfume River; Da Nang airport is about an hour away.
South Central Coast
The driest shore in the country, north and south of Nha Trang, about seventy minutes from Cam Ranh airport. Here are Vinh Hy Bay and the Nui Chua National Park, and the peninsula of Bai San Ho.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Vietnam?
Two, in Hanoi and on Vinh Hy Bay. The five-star houses we list in Vietnam are Capella Hanoi, the small hotel that Bill Bensley conceived as a tribute to the opera house next door, with its Opera Suites and its theatrical spa; and Amanoi, the first Aman in the country, on a hillside inside the Nui Chua National Park above the bay, down the coast from Nha Trang. Beside them we keep three four-star addresses, each listed exactly at the standing it holds: Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, the beach villas on China Beach outside Da Nang; Banyan Tree Lang Co, the pool villas halfway between Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An; and Zannier Bãi San Hô, the villas on a secluded peninsula of white beach on the south central coast.
Where should I stay in Vietnam: Hanoi, the central coast or the south central coast?
Hanoi for the city — the Capella stands in Hoan Kiem beside the opera house, with the old quarter, the lake and the French quarter on foot and the airport about forty minutes away, and Ha Long Bay a day's excursion; the central coast for the beaches and the old towns — The Nam Hai on China Beach between Da Nang and the lantern town of Hoi An, Banyan Tree Lang Co on its crescent bay halfway to the imperial city of Hue, both about an hour from Da Nang airport; and the south central coast for seclusion — Amanoi on Vinh Hy Bay inside a national park, about seventy minutes from Cam Ranh airport, and Zannier Bãi San Hô on its own peninsula north of Nha Trang, where the shore is dry most of the year.
When is the best time for Vietnam?
It depends on the zone, because the country runs on three climates. Hanoi has a real winter — cool and gray from December to February, hot and wet from May to September — and is at its best in October and November and from March to April. The central coast of Hoi An, Da Nang, Lang Co and Hue is dry and hot from February to August, with the beach season from March to September, and takes the rains and the typhoons from September to December. The south central shore at Vinh Hy Bay and Bai San Ho is the driest in the country, from January to September. Each house keeps its own calendar on its page.
How do I get around Vietnam?
By air between the zones: Hanoi's airport is about forty minutes from Hoan Kiem, Da Nang's about an hour from The Nam Hai and from Lang Co, and Cam Ranh's about seventy minutes from Amanoi, with flights from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang; Zannier Bãi San Hô lies up the coast from Nha Trang, and the house arranges the transfer with the booking. Within each zone a car with driver suits — the coast road from Da Nang to Hue over the Hai Van Pass is the drive of the country — and Hanoi's old quarter is walked. The houses arrange airport transfers on request.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
